Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Vasily Petrenko & Behzod Abduraimov

After the Viennese colours and the “fin-de-siècle” atmosphere of their first appearance in Gstaad – an evening dedicated to Gustav Mahler – Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra now journey further eastward for a grand Tchaikovsky programme brimming with passion and brilliance. On the programme are two of the Russian composer’s most iconic masterpieces: the First Piano Concerto, featuring the Uzbek–American virtuoso Behzod Abduraimov, and the monumental Fifth Symphony – both completed in 1888. The evening opens with the captivating stage music composed by the young Nikolai Tcherepnin for La Princesse lointaine, a theatre piece Edmond Rostand wrote especially for the legendary Sarah Bernhardt. As one of the few true heirs to the great Russian musical tradition, Tcherepnin not only preserved Tchaikovsky’s romantic legacy, but infused it with new life as the twentieth century began.